1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to ratchet systems for tools having a spindle rotating in a housing, and particularly to handheld, battery-operated tools having a relatively low torque capacity.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Electric powered hand-held rotating tools such as electric powered drills and screw drivers are known, as are ratchet systems which can be used to selectively "lock" the spindle to the housing to prevent rotation in one or the other direction about the spindle axis. Applications where such a ratchet system would be desireable include work requiring torque greater than the capacity of the tool motor. In such instances, the spindle can be locked and the torque supplied by hand-turning the housing to drive the spindle and complete the tightening of a screw, unfreezing a stuck drill bit, etc.
Conventional ratchet systems tend to be relatively complex, calling for numerous moving parts which can increase the cost of construction and decreases the reliability of the overall tool. Such complexity is highly undesireable in certain low cost, mass produced consumer items such as light weight, battery-operated drills specifically designed for low-torque use.
Thus, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide a simple but highly reliable ratchet system to enable a rotating spindle to be selectively locked to the spindle housing to prevent spindle rotation in one or the other direction about the spindle axis.